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The Mind sat atop a small pile of snow, one that resembled a hill. He curled up and held his legs close – face half-covered with his scarf. Beside him, the Soul sat with a similar scarf and Darrell on his lap.
Neither of them said a word – neither of them wanted to. Although, the Mind passed a glance to Atlas, watching him smile faintly at the distance as he pet Darrell's head gently with his gloved hands.
A snowflake landed on Apollo's nose, sliding down to the back of his hand. He looked at it, before he dusted off said snowflake.
The Soul chuckled. {Having fun?}
[You know better.] The Mind responded.
The two sat idly, observing the mindscape in front of their eyes, the quietness taking over their senses. Well, along with the freezing cold, that was. It was nice. A nice quietness.
A quiet they've yearned for since… ages.
***
One, two, three,
Breathe…
Stay alive.
Four, five, six,
You're so damn close.
You can't give in. You're better than him.
Seven, eight, nine…
Nine…
…And…
…
The Mind stood in front of his other half, sat on the ground in defeat. Snow brushed over him in the violent winds – his surroundings too foggy to make out.
The Heart was no more. He would bear the crown now.
Apollo tossed the Moon's now broken weapon back to him, watching his bitterness and pathetic whining and pleading continue the moment he turned his back.
Insufferable. Like he’s always been.
The Mind walked through the knee-deep snow, trying to navigate the land this ruler was supposed to reign over, watching it fade into something unrecognizable.
As he picked up his pace in the snow, he lost grip of his balance. The Mind watched as his face neared the ground, before suddenly–
THUD!
Instead of the cold snowy ground he expected, the Sun felt cloth and fabric on his face. Looking at his right, he saw none other than Atlas himself.
{Be careful.} He spoke, a deadpan expression on his face.
The Mind pulled himself away from the Soul, almost falling back in the process. He dusted himself off, groaning in annoyance. [I know.] He replied with disdain in his voice.
Atlas frowned, not appreciating the tone of his voice. {Where is Artemis.} He asked, although it sounded more like a statement or command than a question.
[Gone.] He answered.
{You're lying.} Atlas said, his grip on his glowing trident tightening. {You have to be…}
[Does it matter?] The Mind sneered. [I'll be taking charge now. Save your pity for him.] He replied with averted eyes.
The Mind turned away from Atlas, continuing to walk through the slippery stormy weather. That was, before Atlas grabbed him by the wrist.
{It's too dangerous. Look around you! You'll get lost, Apollo.} He said, before raising his trident. The red hue began glowing brighter, acting as a torch of sorts. The Soul sighed, looking down at the ground. {Let's go, I'll go with you. } He said.
Apollo groaned. He didn't need Atlas’ assistance. He didn't need anything… anyone. But, what harm could it bring to have light in the dark. He supposed.
[Suit yourself.] The Mind accepted begrudgingly, rolling his eyes.
The both of them began walking through the snow, which slowly morphed to a storm. Each step the Soul took, the Mind would always take two more. He would be leading the way, despite not knowing where he was heading. But, like many things right now, it didn’t matter.
He could finally wear his crown with pride.
***
They entered their living room and closed the door behind them, having collectively decided to be inside rather than out there in the cold. Darrell sat calmly on Atlas’ shoulder, flapping his wings every once in a while.
The Mind turned to Darrell, giving him a small pet on the head before turning to Soul once more. [I'm making tea.] He said.
{Wait! Can you get me a–}
[No, Soul. You already drank too much caffeine last night.] The Mind protested, already knowing what he might say.
The Soul scoffed. {I'll be fine, Apollo! Just another can won't kill me!} He argued back, with Darrell shaking his little head in response.
[Tea it is.] The Mind said with a grin, before walking off to the kitchen to make them both a cup of tea. To Atlas’ disappointment.
The Mind sat atop the counter, swaying his legs as he watched the water begin to boil in the kettle at a snail's pace. He yawned, the atmosphere making the air feel like a comforting lullaby.
After roughly five and a half minutes, the Mind heard a screeching ringing sound in his ears. He raised his head, seeing smoke coming out of the kettle.
After he turned off the stove, the Mind grabbed two mugs, one of which having a cracked rim – Soul's.
***
The sound of a mug falling from the ground echoed through the walls as the Mind slammed the door open. After a long time of walking aimlessly, they made it through the snowstorm.
The Soul looked at him with furrowed brows, as the glow of his trident faded to nothing. He looked distressed, his eyes examining Mind's like he's lost in the middle of nowhere.
[What?] The Mind raised his eyebrow, hanging his scarf on the coat hanger.
Atlas shook his head, as quietness filled the air. {You're not going to even look for Artemis, are you?} The Soul asked, almost desperately so.
[Of course not. Let him be. Let him reflect for once.] He scoffed, walking towards the kitchen to find a mug having fallen to the ground, causing its rim to crack. [He needs it.] Said the Mind.
He picked the mug up, throwing the shards of ceramic away, and placing the mug back on the shelves. [Once he does, he can thank me.] He remarked with a faint grin, as he began walking towards the stairway.
{And what if he doesn't?} The Soul retorted, trident held in front of him.
The Mind paused, passing a glance to Soul. [Then let him bury himself in the snow.]
* **
{... Did you not add any sugar to this?} The Soul said, staring at the cup of tea in his hands.
[Yes I did.] The Mind replied defensively, taking a sip from his own glass. [Maybe you've just had too much sugar and couldn't tell.] He joked.
The Soul laughed, before getting up from the couch. {Whatever, I'm gonna grab another sugar cube.} He said, walking back towards the kitchen.
The Mind shook his head, taking another sip from his cup as Darrell made himself cozy by his leg. He leaned back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling as the warm golden glow of the light surrounded him.
[Hmm…] Apollo hummed, a sense of familiarity slowly floating around in his mind. He's not surprised by it. It's bound to happen every once in a while. Memories would all blur together in the end anyways.
Maybe it was a memory from the last loop? Maybe the first? Maybe the one after that? He couldn't tell. As much as he hated that fact, there wasn't much he could do about it.
Sometimes he wished he could just…
… remember.
***
His reflection stared back at him from the window. His crown-like horns reflected the warm yellow light from the ceiling, making it appear slightly more orange. He crossed his arms, as cold smoke left his lips.
Skitter, skitter, skitter, he could've sworn he saw that pair of white wings pass by in the darkness. Yet, everytime he turned to look, every time he'd call out his name, he was nowhere to be seen. There was nothing.
Nothing.
He held his head, as if trying to keep it from falling. His breathing grew heavy, as tears flew down from his eyes.
{Harmonia…} The Soul whispered as he fell to the ground in desperation. What would he have done? What would he say to him?
The Soul held his trident close to his chest, eyes scanning the dimly lit living room he had the displeasure of standing in.
He's been here before. He knew it. So why…?
{Why do I keep trying…?} He wept, looking up at the golden light. Harmonia. I was so, so, so close…
Are you disappointed?
I really was…
I…
…
The Soul stood up from the ground, feeling his trident with his fingers. He held his forehead, the world cracking right in front of his eyes, at the risk of falling into nothingness.
{No,} The Soul took a deep breath, {Not again.} He said, looking at the reflection of himself in the window. Oh, how he loathed his resemblance to him.
Atlas marched up the stairs, the sounds of “his majesty” pacing around with his handmade crown echoing on the walls. With shaky hands, he held his trident, stepping closer and closer to Apollo.
This was it.
For harmony.
For all of them.
For us.
***
They sat next to each other on the couch, watching the TV in pure silence again. Until, Mind spoke.
[Atlas?] He called.
The Soul turned to him expectantly and curiously.
The Mind looked back to him. [What's it like? To remember everything?] He finally asked the question.
The Soul looked at him and smiled, stretching his arms and leaning back on the couch. {It’s…A lot.} He replied, seemingly zoning out. {You…see a lot of things. You did a lot of things. Some small, some major.} Soul took a sip from his cup of tea. {Sometimes they’re pleasant – memories of us talking, of jokes and laughter…} His eyes turned to his trident solemnly, as his soft smile turned to a frown.
{...Sometimes they’re a lot less…Easy on the senses.}
***
He writhed in agonizing pain, clutching his bloody arm with widened eyes. In front of him the Soul loomed, his trident dripping with blood that did not belong to its wielder. The Mind shifted away from him on the floor, trying his best to keep a straight posture despite the pain.
[Hah…] The Mind breathed heavily, expecting the Soul to end this whole mess with his trident. The Sun closed his eyes, his crown falling from his head and onto the blood-stained floor.
Atlas walked over to him, stomping on his crown, each part flinging away from him and turning into nothing. Mind gritted his teeth in anger – one that Soul seemed to share by the look of his own frown and blank stare. The Mind reached to grab what’s left of his crown, collecting them and piecing them together on the floor. All while the blood continued to drip down.
[You…] The Mind attempted to control his breath. [What’s your plan…?] The Mind spoke, almost tauntingly so. Even if his thoughts are racing for a solution that’s rational, there were too many things happening around him for him to do that.
Atlas raised his trident, its neon glow intensifying. {End this loop…End this thing… } He spoke, eyes focused on Mind’s.
Apollo closed his eyes, bracing for the end. The Soul raised his trident higher, the air growing colder and colder, and with a shaky breath and quivering hands…
…He dropped the trident.
The Mind widened his eyes, looking up at the Soul in confusion. Atlas turned away, burying his head in his hands as if he too was in pain. {G…Go.} Atlas spoke. {Find Artemis.} He commanded, picking up his trident once more and pointing it to Mind’s face. {Or…I’m bringing this vessel down with all of us.} He threatened, voice still slightly shaky. Although very, very tired.
The Sun furrowed his brows, grabbing all the pieces of his crown that he could carry, and ran away to do just that. He didn’t know what Atlas was planning, but he knew better than to question that. At least, right now.
After taking care of his wounds, the Mind grabbed his coat and opened the door – a violent gust of wind passing by as he did. The snowstorm still raged on, as the path was still slippery and flooded by snow. With a reluctant groan, the Mind began walking out of the house, shivering in the cold as he scanned his surroundings for his other half. During it all, a single thought lingered in his mind.
[What is he trying to do?]
***
Atlas lowered his head, slightly shaken. He opened his eyes, realizing where and when he was. He turned to Mind, seeing him worried…For him?
{...Tiring. It’s really tiring.} He finally answered Mind’s question simply.
The Mind turned to the TV in front of them, and then promptly back at Soul. [You want to forget, right? That’s what you’re saying?] The Mind spoke.
{...Yeah. Yeah, I guess so. But…} He looked at the Mind, scanning that face that he’s had the pleasure and displeasure of seeing thousands of times. {There are many things I still want to remember.}
***
The Soul clinged to the two in their embrace, as he felt tears fell down his cheeks and his grin grew wider and wider. He pulled away, looking at Artemis and Apollo, both looking at each other with a smile. He watched the Heart and Mind trying to talk and humble themselves to reconciliation. As they did, Atlas stood silently, just thankful they finally…talked at all.
He turned to the golden light of the ceiling again; a golden light that didn’t seem so out of reach after all. Atlas smiled, his gaze drifting towards the window.
The storm had calmed. Instead, the dark skies were filled with stars and moonlight, while the snowfall became gentle and soothing.
Atlas opened the doorway, stepping foot outside. His hair waved in the winds, and the skies were beautiful rather than foggy and vague.
Everything was stable again.
Atlas smiled. He turned towards the Mind, watching as he still held the wound on his arm with pain. Before his smile could fade, Apollo walked over towards him with empty eyes. They both stood in front of the doorway, neither knowing what to do or say now.
{I’m…Sorry.} Atlas spoke, turning to Mind solemnly.
[Hm.] He sighed, sitting down on the snow. [...So am I.] The Mind then mumbled with averted eyes.
The Sun’s eyes turned towards the ethereal skies, observing harmony with pure awe in his eyes. Even if his face was far from expressive.
Then, he said something that Atlas could never forget. Words that stayed in his head for each loop that went.
***
[You’re a good host, Atlas. Despite everything you’ve done.] The Mind spoke… again… placing his hand on Soul’s. [So…Thanks for that.] He spoke, subsequently moving away his hand and shifting away slightly on the couch.
Atlas held back his words, only looking at him with a warm smile. As they both turned to the TV, he placed a hand on Mind’s shoulder.
{I couldn’t be a host without you both.} He replied with a sigh. {...Thank you…too.}